Wooing
by forensicsfan
Summary: Who knew that reading the newspaper could turn into a challenge. Just what will happen between Nick and Sara?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:  Don't own them, didn't create them, don't profit from them.  Coffee with George would be nice though.

The inspiration from this came from the real news story included.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick Stokes winced as he read the newspaper over a cup of coffee in the break room.  He glanced up at Warrick who sat across from him.  "Get a load of this story, man."  He began reading the story out loud.

**_Sicily_****_ Man Arranges Shooting to Woo Woman   _**

_Fri Dec 26, __9:09 AM ET_

_ROME__ (Reuters) - A man in __Sicily__ asked a friend to shoot him in the groin in the hope of making his ex-girlfriend feel sorry for him, police said on Friday. _

_Police in the central Sicilian city of __Piazza Armerina__ said they became suspicious when the 27-year-old went to hospital with wounds from a hunting rifle's pellets in the groin area. _

_At first he said the wounds had been caused in a hunting accident, but later admitted he had asked a friend, 16, to shoot him in an attempt to win back the affection of his girlfriend, who had apparently left him because of his violent character. _

_The man's wounds are expected to heal, doctors said. _

_Police said the man, and the 16-year-old, had been charged in connection with the shooting. Local reports said the man's ex-girlfriend had made clear she never wanted to see him again._

Warrick winced as Nick read the story.  "And I thought Vegas had cornered the market on weirdoes."

Catherine had walked in while Nick was reading the story and chuckled at the guys' reaction.  "So how far would you guys go to woo a woman?"

Nick raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the newspaper.  "I sure as hell wouldn't shoot myself, especially not there."

Catherine grinned.  "Warrick, what would you do?"

Warrick looked thoughtful before answering the question.  "If I really liked her, I'd write her a song and sing it to her over a candlelit dinner."

"Nice."  Catherine smiled.  "What about you, Nicky?"

"I don't know; I'd have to think about it.  Besides, it would depend on the woman."  He continued reading the newspaper.

Catherine and Warrick exchanged a knowing glance.  Catherine cleared her throat.  "Just give an example, Nicky."

He glanced up and flashed her a grin.  "I can't give you an example; I'm more spontaneous than that.  It just depends on the woman."

"So in other words, it just depends on how much he wants to get laid."  Warrick jibed.

Nick raised both eyebrows and raised a hand in protest.  "Hey, that's not fair.  That reputation is a little over inflated by our good friend Greg Sanders."

Catherine looked amused.  "So then you're not a ladies man, Nick?"

Nick just shook his head and turned his attention back to the paper.  "I want a woman whose beauty is more than skin deep, and who can carry on an intelligent conversation."

Catherine and Warrick exchanged another amused glance as Sara walked into the room.

Nick was oblivious.  "Now if it was that kind of woman; that would be something."

"What are you talking about, Nick?"  Sara looked at him curiously.

Nick put the paper down and looked at her with a startled expression.  "Oh, hey, Sara.  Uh, Catherine was just wondering what Warrick and I would do to try and woo someone."

Sara raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, and what brought this up."

Catherine gestured toward the newspaper.  "Nick found an article about a man who got his friend to shoot him in the groin to win back his ex-girlfriend."

Sara started laughing.  "You have got to be kidding."

Nick held up the newspaper and raised both eyebrows.  "Would I joke about something like that?"

Sara smirked.  "So what would you do, Nicky?"

Nick chuckled.  "Why is everyone so interested in knowing what I would do to woo a woman?" 

"Maybe some of us think that chivalry is dead."  Sara grabbed a cup and poured herself some coffee before sitting down next to Nick. 

Nick raised an eyebrow at her.  "Trust me; as long as there are Texans on this planet, chivalry is not dead."

"Care to prove it, Nick?"  Catherine had a mischievous glint in her eye.

Nick tried to restrain his smile.  "And just what did you have in mind, Ms. Willows?"

Feigning innocence, Catherine gestured toward him.  "Woo Sara."

Sara almost choked on her cup of coffee.  "Uh, that's not a good idea."

"Why not?"  Warrick queried, joining forces with Catherine.

"Sara's right."  Nick chimed in.  "I  don't think this is a very good idea."

"What better way to test your chivalry skills than on someone who thinks she's immune to them."  Catherine's tone made it sound like the decision had been made.

Sara took a sip from her coffee and rolled her eyes.  "It's not like it would hurt anything.  It won't work on me anyway, Nick."

Nick was taken slightly aback.  "You're on, Sara."  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he decided that he was going to make Sara fall for his charms.

Warrick and Catherine exchanged an amused glance.  They had discussed at length while working several cases how they thought Nick and Sara ought to go out with each other, they just hadn't had an opportunity until now to put step one of their plan in motion.


	2. Let the wooing begin

"So, Nick, what are you going to do to woo Sara?"  Warrick queried him as they were stowing their gear into their lockers.

Nick chuckled and glanced over at his friend.  "You'll just have to wait and see.  She thinks she's immune, I'm going to show her otherwise."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara opened her locker at the beginning of next shift dreading running into Nick.  Why she had agreed to let him woo her or whatever he had in mind she wasn't sure.  The whole thing seemed pretty stupid to her.  As she hung up her jacket, something fell out onto the floor.  She glanced down and noticed an envelope with her name on it.

She picked it up and opened it.  Inside was a note from Nick.

_Sara,_

_I know that you think chivalry is dead.  I want to prove to you that it's not.  We're both off the calendar on Friday night, so why don't you give me the pleasure of your company for the evening and I'll show you how a lady should be treated._

_Nick_

She had to smile in spite of herself.  Friday was three days away; if nothing else, she would prove that she was indeed impervious to Nick's charms.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At the end of shift, Sara went to retrieve her jacket out of her locker.  The shift had been long and all she wanted to do was go home, take a bubble bath, and go to sleep.  As she pulled her jacket out, she noticed that there was a small gold box sitting in her locker.  Curious, she picked it up and smiled.  Godiva chocolates.  They were her favorite, but she rarely ever had them because they were expensive.  She pulled the card off of the box and just shook her head.  They were from Nick.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara arrived at work the next evening very much in a bad mood.  Her Denali had gotten a flat tire and she'd had to stop and change it on her way in and as a result, she hadn't been able to stop and get a real cup of coffee.  Now she'd have to settle for the sludge-like break room coffee instead since Greg was on vacation.  She entered the break room noting that Grissom had already begun his briefing.  There was an empty seat next to Nick and she quickly sat down trying to avoid Grissom's questioning glance as to why she was late.  Shrugging her jacket off onto the chair behind her, she noticed a latte at eye level.  She glanced over at Nick who was holding it out to her with a raised eyebrow.

He grinned.  "Soy hazelnut latte, double shot, just the way you like it."

She mumbled her thanks and gratefully accepted the latte.

Catherine and Warrick shared and amused glance and Grissom just continued on with the briefing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara worked a couple of extra hours past the end of shift.  By the time she left, Warrick, Nick and Catherine had all gone home.  She was tired.  The day had been long and all she wanted to do was go home, drink a glass of wine and watch a romantic comedy before heading to bed.

When she got to the front door of her apartment, she stopped in her tracks.  Sitting in front of her door was a bouquet of flowers along with a note.  She picked it up and entered her apartment, pulling the note off and reading it.

_Sara,_

_I know your day didn't start off well.  I hope that you know that I think you're very special.  I'm looking forward to taking you out on Friday night._

_Nick_

She found that she was smiling in spite of herself.  Perhaps Friday would be fun.  It was Nick after all, and she did enjoy his company.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Sara pulled into the parking lot for work the next evening, she noticed that Nick had just pulled in.  When he spotted her, he leaned against his Denali until she'd exited hers.  In his hands he held a pair of lattes.

Sara tried to suppress her smile as he handed one to her.  

"Double tall, soy, hazelnut latte."  His grin was wide.

Sara just laughed and shook her head.  "You certainly are trying hard to be charming."

"Ah, so you admit that I'm charming."  Nick replied with a chuckle.

"I didn't say you were charming, just that you were trying hard."  Sara replied with a smirk.

He opened the front door of the lab for her and couldn't help but smile.  "What time should I pick you up tomorrow night?"

Sara had difficulty restraining her smile.  "I suppose it depends on what you had in mind."

"How does seven sound?"  Nick cocked his head and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ok, seven it is."  Sara just shook her head.  She hardly noticed that she'd also let him open the locker room door for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara was looking forward to having a night off from work.  As she retrieved her jacket from her locker she silently wondered what she had gotten herself into by agreeing to go out with Nick.  She would find out soon enough.  She shut her locker and made her way out into the parking lot to her Denali.  Before she got to the vehicle, she heard someone calling out her name.  She stopped and turned around to see Nick jogging toward her.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left."  He had a wide grin on his face as he approached.

Sara looked at him quizzically.  "Why's that?  Are you having second thoughts about taking me out to try and charm me?"

He chuckled.  "No.  I'm not canceling on you.  I still want to prove to you that chivalry is not dead.  I wanted to give you this."  He handed her an envelope.

She looked slightly perplexed.  "What is this?"

Nick looked a bit nervous.  "Open it."

She opened the envelope and couldn't restrain her smile.  "It's a gift certificate to a day spa."

Nick reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.  "You just work so hard, I thought maybe you should pamper yourself with a massage or something."

Sara looked at him skeptically.  "Did you think of this yourself?"

Nick smiled.  "Sara, I have five sisters, they're always saying they would love something like this.  Yes, I thought of it myself."

Sara smiled.  "That's sweet.  Thanks.  That's very sweet."

"So are you."  Nick leaned over and kissed her forehead.  "I'll see you tonight."  Nick turned and headed back into the lab.

Sara just stood there wondering what in the world Nick Stokes had up his sleeve.  Suddenly, she was very much looking forward to letting him work his charms on her.


	3. An evening out

Sara wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She had changed her clothes three times before finally calling Nick and asking him what she should wear since she had no idea where they were going. When he told her she should wear a dress, her nerves intensified. It wasn't that she didn't own a dress; she just didn't often have an occasion to wear one since they weren't exactly the ideal attire for working crime scenes.  
  
Nick knocked on her door at exactly seven o'clock wearing a pair of black slacks, a French blue shirt, a black tie, and his black leather jacket. When Sara opened the door, he grinned. She looked gorgeous in a simple black dress. He looked at her appreciatively. "You look beautiful, Sara."  
  
"Thanks." She opened the door to let him in and suddenly felt awkward. "Uh, where are we going?"  
  
Nick looked much more confident than he felt. "You'll just have to wait and see."  
  
Sara glanced at him with a half smile as she grabbed her purse. "You do realize that this is just weird don't you?"  
  
Nick chuckled softly and offered her his arm as they headed out her front door. "It's just me, Sara. Just relax, it'll be fun."  
  
Sara still couldn't help but feel that the whole situation was a little too surreal though. Nick took her to a very posh restaurant for dinner where she just picked at her food; which made her feel even more nervous because she felt bad that Nick had gone to all this trouble and she wasn't even eating.  
  
He just grinned at her from across the table. "You want to dance?" He gestured toward the small dance floor expectantly.  
  
Sara let out a deep breath and shook her head. "Nick, I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but this just feels weird. I mean it's not you, it's just all of this." She gestured toward the surroundings."  
  
He chuckled softly. "You want to get out of here and do something else?"  
  
Sara studied him suspiciously.  
  
He just shook his head. "Don't worry, Sara, I'm not going to try and seduce you."  
  
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she looked as if she was going to say something.  
  
"That is unless you want me to." He just grinned.  
  
Sara laughed and finally started to relax. "Let's get out of here."  
  
Nick called the waiter over so he could pay the check. He offered Sara his arm as they left the table.  
  
When they climbed into his Denali she glanced over at him. "What are we going to do?"  
  
"Plan B." He just grinned.  
  
Sara looked at him inquisitively as they re-entered the Las Vegas traffic. A short time later they pulled into a parking lot. It took Sara a moment to figure out where they were. "Putt-putt golf?"  
  
"Have you ever played?" Nick grinned.  
  
"I guess I'm about to." Sara replied with a smile.  
  
Who knew that nine holes of putt-putt golf could alter someone's perspective so much? Well, actually, it was the first hole that started it. Sara had no idea how to hold a golf club, let alone how to putt properly. Nick took the opportunity to show her and they both ended up laughing when Sara commented that his ass did a nice shimmy when he swung the club. Nick didn't try too hard not to stare at Sara's backside when she attempted her first putt. Sara caught him looking and blushed.  
  
"What? It's a nice view." Nick looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.  
  
Sara tried to look indignant. "Come over here. You're going to help me." Had Sara known what she was getting herself into, she might not have said that.  
  
Nick stepped over to her and showed her how to hold the club and how to putt the ball by standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her.  
  
Sara could feel her heart rate elevate as she felt Nick's breath on her neck. She didn't expect Nick to have that kind of effect on her, and damn did he smell good. By the fifth hole, Sara had kicked her shoes off and had really gotten into the game. By the seventh hole, she hugged Nick when she got a hole in one, and by the ninth hole, when she gave him a celebratory hug, she suddenly felt chemistry. As much as she hadn't wanted to go out with him to begin with, she didn't want the evening to end quite yet.  
  
"So what now?" Sara looked at Nick expectantly.  
  
He grinned at her. "What would you like to do?"  
  
"Do you want to come over and watch a movie?" She asked a little nervously.  
  
Nick grinned at her. "That's sounds like fun."  
  
When they got to her house, she kicked her shoes off and popped some popcorn. She picked the longest movie she owned and popped it into the DVD player before joining Nick on the couch. He kicked off his shoes and removed his tie in an effort to make himself feel more comfortable. Nick put his feet up on the coffee table and held the bowl of popcorn in his lap. Sara tucked her legs underneath herself and found herself leaning against Nick as he rested an arm on the back of the couch.  
  
As the movie progress, they drifted closer together, and Nick's arm draped across her shoulders. By the time the movie was halfway over, Nick found himself absentmindedly playing with her hair. Sara glanced up at him and smiled. In that instant, their eyes connected and they both froze.  
  
In retrospect, neither of them remembered who moved first, but in the next instant, their lips were touching and the movie was all but forgotten as they began to taste and explore each other's mouths.  
  
As they finally broke the kiss, Nick smiled at her and continued to play with her hair. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."  
  
Sara smiled at him with a little disbelief. "You have?"  
  
He nodded and leaned in and kissed her again.  
  
When they broke apart again, Sara grinned. "Wow."  
  
Nick chuckled. "So does that mean you're having a good time?"  
  
Sara nodded. "Yeah." She leaned in and kissed him, getting lost in the sensation of his lips against hers.  
  
They continued trading exploratory kisses even after the movie had ended. When they finally realized that it had ended, they broke apart laughing. Nick rested his forehead against hers. "I guess we missed the rest of the movie."  
  
Sara giggled. "That's ok. This was a lot more fun."  
  
"I should probably go home so you can get some sleep before shift." Nick let out a deep breath.  
  
"That's probably a good idea." Sara conceded, sure that if he stayed much longer they might enter territory that neither of them were quite ready for.  
  
Nick placed a soft sweet kiss on her lips. "Do you think you might want to do this again sometime?"  
  
Sara looked into his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I would."  
  
"Good." Nick grinned. "Because so do I." 


	4. When you care enough to send the very be...

Sara planned to arrive at work a little early that night.  She had thoroughly enjoyed her date with Nick and had stopped at a Hallmark store and bought him a card to let him know how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness.  She couldn't believe the ridiculous amount of time she spent picking out a card considering that she had hoped to get to work before he arrived so she could put it in his locker, but she wanted to find the perfect card and she found herself laughing out loud at several cards before she finally decided on one that was blank inside and had a picture of a field of sunflowers on the front.

She still arrived an hour early and didn't see his Denali in the parking lot when she pulled in, so she thought she'd have plenty of time to get the card into his locker unnoticed.  She walked into the locker room and opened her own locker to hang up her jacket.  Inside was a bouquet of flowers along with a note.  

_Sara,_

_I hope that our date last night was just the first of many._

_Nick_

She leaned against the bay of lockers smiling and wondered to herself if he had stopped there on his way home from her apartment since she hadn't seen his Denali in the parking lot when she pulled in.  

She decided that she'd better get the card she'd bought him into his locker before anyone showed up.  She quickly opened his locker and placed it inside.  As she closed it, she heard someone entering the room and she quickly spun around.

An amused Nick, with arms crossed over his chest stood there with an eyebrow raised.  "Do you know what the penalty for breaking and entering is in Nevada, Sara?"

She smirked at him.  "It didn't seem to stop you."

He stepped toward her smiling.  "True."  He regarded her curiously.  "So why were you in my locker?"

She tried to restrain her grin.  "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Nick tilted his head and took another few steps toward her chuckling.  "Sara."

She raised an eyebrow at him in challenge.  "Nick."

"Sara."  Nick put one hand on the locker behind her and grinned at her.

Sara couldn't help but grin at him in return.  "I'm glad we're clear on each other's names."

"Me too."  Nick chuckled.  "What did you put in my locker?"

Sara shook her head.  "I don't know what you're talking about."  She couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"You're a terrible liar."  He looked amused.

"Thanks for the flowers."  Sara looked into his eyes.

"It was my pleasure."  Nick glanced at her lips.  "Did you read the note?"

Sara nodded.  "Uh, huh."

Nick searched her face.  "And?"

"Me too."  Sara smiled.

Nick's grin widened.  "What are you doing after shift?"

Sara smirked.  "Going to the dentist."

Nick looked at her for a moment to see if she was serious and then started laughing when he realized she was.  "Ok, then.  What about after that?"

"Going home and getting some sleep."  She replied coyly.

Nick chuckled.  "What are you doing before shift tomorrow?"

"Someone gave me this gift certificate so I'm getting a massage."  Sara smirked. 

Nick smiled.  "I'm glad you're taking advantage of that.  You deserve to be pampered."

Sara laughed softly, fingering the collar on his button up shirt.  "What about Tuesday?  I was thinking that we could make breakfast and maybe I could rent 'Gone With the Wind'."

Nick raised a curious eyebrow.  "Ok, but why 'Gone With the Wind'?"

Sara tried to restrain her smile as she glanced at his lips.  "Because I've heard it's a must see classic and it's also really long."

Nick couldn't help but start laughing again as he searched her face.  "I like how you think."  He leaned toward her, his eyes slowly closing.  Sara's eyes fluttered shut too as Nick's lips softly touched hers.  She found herself splaying her hands out against his chest and responding to the kiss as Nick slid his arms around her waist; both of them completely forgetting that they were standing in the middle of the locker room at work.

"I take it your little date went well?"  Warrick looked thoroughly amused as Nick and Sara sprang apart.

Sara tried to swallow her grin.  "I'll be in the break room."  She glanced back at Nick with a smile as she exited the locker room.

Warrick raised an eyebrow at Nick.  "So, Nick, the date went well then?"

Nick nodded.  "Not as planned, but I'm not complaining."

Warrick surveyed Nick for a moment.  "Hey, man, what exactly are your intentions with Sara?"

Nick chuckled as he opened up his locker and hung up his coat.  "Don't worry, Warrick.  The last person I would ever want to hurt or piss off is Sara Sidle.  If I had less than honorable intentions toward her, I would not only be the dumbest man on the planet, I'd be on the hit list of half the men who work in this lab."  He closed the door to his locker and glanced over at Warrick.  "In case you haven't noticed, I really like her, otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to Catherine's little challenge in the first place."

Warrick chuckled.  "Alright then."

"See you in the break room."  Nick headed out of the locker room just as Catherine was walking in.

She raised a curious eyebrow at Warrick and gestured toward Nick.  "Did I just overhear what I think I overheard?"

Warrick laughed.  "Yeah."

"So I take it their date went well?"  Catherine queried Warrick.

"Considering that Nick was kissing Sara when I walked in, I would say so."  Warrick replied with an amused smile. 

Catherine's eyes widened and she let out a deep throaty laugh.  


	5. I can't get you out of my mind

Midway through shift, Nick realized that he'd been so distracted by kissing Sara and then Warrick's subsequent interruption that he'd never gotten a chance to see what Sara put in his locker. He was in the middle of running a few tests on some samples that he and Warrick had collected at a crime scene earlier, but he made a mental note that as soon as he had an opportunity to take a break, he'd go look in his locker.

Warrick had been giving him a hard time about Sara all night long, wanting more details about their date, but Nick kept being vague and brushing him off. Not that either one of them had anything to hide, Nick just didn't want his date with Sara to be reduced to locker room fodder.

Nick never did get a chance to look in his locker during shift. He and Warrick got called out to another crime scene, and ended up back at the lab an hour after shift had ended. Nick was gathering his things out of his locker when he found the envelope Sara had placed there. He sat on the bench in front of the bay of lockers and opened it. A smile spread across his face as he noticed the sunflowers on the front of the card. For some reason it reminded him of home. When he was young, his mom used to plant sunflowers near the side of the house and he and his siblings used to get into trouble for pulling them down low enough that they could get to the seeds. His mom would tell them that she planted them for the birds. Maybe that was why he always liked birds.

Nick opened the card and his smile widened into a grin as he read what Sara wrote:

__

Nick,

I didn't think that it was true, that chivalry could still be alive and well, but you proved to me that it is. Thank you for a wonderful evening. I never thought I could have so much fun playing putt-putt golf in high heels, but then, I'd never tried it with you before. Last night was an eye opener in many regards. I hope we get the opportunity to see more of each other outside of work.

Sara

Nick chuckled softly and reread the card. It was amazing what could change over the span of a few days. He pulled his jacket on and put the card in his pocket before shutting the locker door. As he turned around, he noticed Sara standing in the doorway of the locker room. He grinned at her. "Thanks for the card."

There was a hint of color in her cheeks as she smiled at him. "Thank you for a wonderful evening."

Nick looked at her curiously. "I thought you had a dentist appointment."

She stepped into the room and moved toward her locker. "I do, but I didn't see the point in going home first." She glanced at him as she opened her locker to retrieve the flowers he'd put inside of it for her. "Besides, I was kind of hoping to see you before I left."

Nick couldn't hide his grin. "Really?"

She nodded. "Want to walk out with me?"

"Is that a trick question?" Nick teased.

Sara laughed. "No, it's not."

They made their way through the lab and out to the parking lot, catching a few curious glances, not because they were walking together, but because Sara was carrying a bouquet of flowers.

They slowed as they neared Sara's Denali, neither one of them really wanting to leave. Finally, Sara glanced at her watch. "I've got to go, I'm going to be late for the dentist."

"Uh, you're busy before shift, right?" Nick queried as he looked into her eyes and reached up to brush a bit of her hair off of her forehead.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting a massage. But we're still on for breakfast and a movie tomorrow morning after shift, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it."

Sara smiled and opened the driver's door of her Denali, setting the flowers and her bag on the seat.

Nick reached for her shoulder. "Uh, Sara?"

She turned around to face him, "Yeah?"

Nick leaned in a gave her a soft kiss, his fingertips trailing down her cheeks. "I'll see you tonight."

Sara nodded and then leaned up and kissed him, stepping back with wide eyes and a smile on her face. "Bye."

Nick watched her as she climbed into her Denali and drove out of the parking lot. He stood there for a few minutes before heading to his own vehicle and driving home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So do you think Grissom is going to freak out when he finds out that they're dating?" Warrick queried Catherine.

She glanced over at him and smirked. "He probably won't even notice."

Warrick closed his locker and chuckled. "You're probably right."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shock was evident on Gil Grissom's face as he stood in the doorway to the lab building. He had wanted to clarify something on one of the reports Nick had turned in when he'd seen Nick and Sara walking out the front door of the lab. He'd followed, thinking he'd catch him in the parking lot, but then he'd seen Nick kiss Sara, and Grissom stopped in his tracks. When he'd seen Sara kiss him in return, Grissom's jaw dropped. He had never imagined that the pair were anything other than friends.


	6. Breakfast and a movie

Grissom turned on his heels and went back to his office to get his bearings. When Sara had told him that by the time he figured it out it would probably be too late, he wasn't sure what she'd meant by that. She'd been throwing herself at him for three years, and though he wasn't sure that he even wanted a relationship with her, he figured that he didn't need to hurry. He apparently was wrong. As he sat there, the pieces started falling together. He suspected now that when she said those words several months ago that she was already finding her heart tugged in another direction, and that direction was now clear.  
  
Nick and Sara always seemed to get along well, and over the last few months Grissom had continually put them together on cases. He had also noticed from their banter that they seemed to be spending considerable time together outside of work, but he had always assumed that they were just friends. He wondered to himself when things had changed and why he hadn't noticed.  
  
"Grissom." Catherine stood in the doorway of his office smiling.  
  
He looked at her and found a smile forming on his face. "Catherine."  
  
Catherine raised a curious eyebrow at him. "You feeling ok?"  
  
He nodded and gestured toward the files strewn across his desk. "Just buried in paperwork."  
  
"Shift's over. Go home." She had that 'I'm a mom, I know what I'm talking about' look on her face.  
  
"I just need to finish this." He glanced back at her.  
  
She laughed at him softly. "See you tonight."  
  
He just smiled at her as she turned and headed toward the front door. If he was honest with himself, Catherine was the reason he'd never pursued Sara romantically. Of course, he wasn't sure he wanted to interrupt the status quo and do something about it, so for the time being, he was just going to leave things as they were.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara arrived for work an hour early looking exceptionally relaxed. As she sipped her cup of coffee in the break room, she closed her eyes and smiled. Why she had never bought herself a massage she didn't know, but she was going to have to thank Nick, and she made a mental note to make getting a massage a regular thing.  
  
Sara heard someone entering the room and she opened her eyes to see Grissom striding purposefully toward the coffee machine. "Hey, Gris."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly upward. "Sara." He poured himself a cup of coffee. "You look very relaxed."  
  
"Massage. I highly recommend it." She took another sip from her coffee.  
  
"Ah." Grissom took a sip from his coffee and his eyebrows shot up. "Is Greg back from vacation?"  
  
Sara chuckled. "Now that you mention it, he must be; the coffee is actually good."  
  
Just then, Greg sauntered in. "I see you both found the freshly brewed coffee. It's a special variation of Blue Hawaiian that I picked up in Maui." He flashed them a toothy grin.  
  
Sara smiled. "Greg, this coffee is heaven."  
  
Greg looked at Sara a bit curiously. "Someone's in a good mood."  
  
"What I'm not allowed to be in a good mood? I'm just feeling relaxed. I had a massage before work." Sara took another sip from her cup of coffee and closed her eyes, still smiling.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I thought for sure I was going to have to pull a double." Nick commented as he slid an omelet out of the pan onto a plate.  
  
"So why didn't you?" Sara asked him with a curious expression.  
  
"Apparently, our suspect was feeling remorseful. It's always helpful when they confess and the evidence supports that." He grinned as they sat down on Sara's couch.  
  
Sara smiled at him as she dug into her omelet. "Hey, I wanted to thank you for giving me that gift certificate. That massage was heaven."  
  
Nick grinned at her with a satisfied expression. "I'm glad."  
  
She gestured toward the TV. "Should I put the movie in?"  
  
"Sure, we may as well get it started, especially if the movie is as long as you say it is." Nick suggested.  
  
She chuckled as she pulled herself off of the couch. "Actually, 'Gone With the Wind' was checked out so I got 'The Princess Bride'."  
  
Nick almost choked on his food as he started laughing. "I love that movie."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow at him as she popped the DVD into the player. "You love 'The Princess Bride'?"  
  
"Yes." He smirked. "What? I'm not allowed to like anything besides 'Terminator'?"  
  
Sara sat back on the couch and crossed her arms in front of her body. "I didn't say that. I'm just surprised that's all." She studied him for a moment. "I bet there's a lot about you that would surprise me."  
  
Nick grinned at her. "I'm not just another pretty face."  
  
Sara started laughing. "No, you've got a nice ass too."  
  
"We should go putt-putt golfing more often." Nick quipped. He knew that she'd been ogling his butt when he'd demonstrated how to putt.  
  
Sara's eyebrows shot up. "Hey, you were checking out my ass too."  
  
Nick popped another bite of his food into his mouth and grinned. "Yes, I was. It's very cute by the way."  
  
Sara started to giggle. "Watch the movie." She set her plate down and leaned against him, smiling when Nick put his arm around her.  
  
As they watched the movie, Sara couldn't help but laugh at Nick. He seemed to know most of the lines and he made a point to say his favorite ones. She finally poked him in the ribs, causing him to jump.  
  
"Hey, what was that for?" He looked amused.  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't tell me you'd memorized the entire movie." She tried to contain her smile which was tugging at the corners of her mouth.  
  
Nick smirked. "You didn't ask." He started to tickle her.  
  
"Nick." She grabbed for his hands as she squirmed next to him on the couch, giggling and trying to tickle him in return.  
  
Nick raised his eyebrows in amusement. "What?" He continued tickling her.  
  
Sara finally decided to give up trying to grab his hands and just kissed him instead, giggling against his lips.  
  
Nick stilled his hands and responded to the kiss, finally pulling apart with a smile on his face. "I guess that works as well as saying 'Uncle'."  
  
Sara laughed. "I never understood where that came from anyway. Why would you say 'Uncle' to make someone stop tickling you?"  
  
Nick chuckled. "I don't know, but my nieces and nephews never questioned it."  
  
Sara smirked. "Are you comparing me to your nieces?"  
  
He shook his head. "No. I'd much rather kiss you than play 'Uncle'." Nick commented, trailing his fingers down her cheek.  
  
Sara leaned toward him, eyeing his lips. "You would, huh?"  
  
Nick nodded. "Uh, huh." Nick glanced down at her lips. "What about you?"  
  
Sara silenced him by pressing her lips against his.  
  
A few minutes later, they broke apart and Nick grinned. "I guess that was a 'yes'."  
  
They exchanged quite a few more long deep kisses before noticing that the movie had ended.  
  
Sara started to laugh. "It's a good thing we both know how this movie ends."  
  
"Yeah, the guy gets the girl." He grinned at her and pulled her in for another kiss, finally pulling apart and resting his forehead against hers. "Hey, I should go, we both have to get some sleep before shift tonight."  
  
"Ok." Sara walked Nick to the door, leaning in to give him another kiss before he pulled his jacket on.  
  
Nick reached out and touched the side of her face. "I really like you, Sara. I really hope we can spend some more time together like this. I know we've known each other a long time, but there's a lot about you I don't know yet."  
  
Sara smiled. "I really like you too. This transition from friendship to something else is a little strange, but I like it."  
  
Nick chuckled and dipped his head to kiss her again briefly. "I'll see you tonight."  
  
"Count on it." A smile revealing the small gap in her teeth spread across her face.  
  
A grinning Nick stole one more kiss from Sara before he headed out to his Denali and went home. 


	7. Busted

"You ok, Sara?" Nick looked concerned, noting the frustrated expression on her face as she walked into the locker room.  
  
She let out a sigh, her brows knit together. "It never ceases to amaze me what horrible things people do to each other." She opened her locker and a faint smile began to tug at her lips. She turned toward Nick and her smiled widened as she noticed he was leaning against the frame of his open locker grinning. "You're going to go broke if you keep this up." He had once again managed to sneak a bouquet of flowers into her locker without being caught.  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow and reached over to brush an imaginary stray hair out of her face. "Are you saying that you're not worth it?"  
  
Color began to creep into Sara's face. There was a hint of embarrassment I her voice. "Nick."  
  
"If it makes you smile after a difficult case, it's worth it." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.  
  
Sara snaked her arms around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder. "Thanks."  
  
"Are you busy after shift?" Nick asked with a hint of mischief in his voice.  
  
Sara laughed softly. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
Nick's arms tightened around her back and he whispered into her ear. "I got a hold of a copy of 'Gone With the Wind'."  
  
Sara started to giggle. "You may have to hold onto it, I might have to pull a double."  
  
Nick looked disappointed. "A double?"  
  
"Don't sound so surprised. It goes with the territory." Sara pulled back and looked at him with amusement on her face.  
  
Nick feigned a pout. "I know, but I was hoping we could spend some time together."  
  
Sara smirked. "You just want to make out."  
  
Nick chuckled. "Well, there is that, but I just like hanging out with you too."  
  
Sara smiled. "Me too."  
  
Nick cell phone started to ring and he reluctantly let go of Sara and pulled it off of his belt. "Stokes."  
  
Sara continued to hold him around the waist, making faces at him as he talked on the phone.  
  
It was all he could do to not laugh. "No, I don't find that funny. Uh, no, someone just told a really good joke. I'll be right there." He shot her a stern look that was made unconvincing by the smile on his face. "Looks like I'm pulling a double too. Warrick and I have a DB at the Sands with Grissom."  
  
She had a mischievous glint in her eye. "So was that Warrick or Grissom?"  
  
He grinned. "You're lucky it was Warrick, he didn't believe a word I said."  
  
Sara laughed. "Hmm, really."  
  
Nick nodded. "Really."  
  
"Well I suppose I should let you go meet him then." She hadn't loosened her grip on him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "You probably should." He didn't make a move either.  
  
Sara started to giggle. "If you keep Grissom waiting very long, he's going to be pissed."  
  
"Wouldn't want to do that." He grinned at her and leaned over and kissed her. What he'd intended to be one kiss turned into quite a few and only when they heard the locker room door creak open did they hastily pull apart.  
  
"Nick! We've got a crime scene to process." Grissom's voice was thick with annoyance.  
  
"Coming." Nick quickly shut his locker door after grabbing his jacket. He cleared his throat and hoped that Grissom hadn't seen him kissing Sara. "I just had to grab my jacket."  
  
Sara stood there trying to act natural, hoping Grissom hadn't seen the bouquet of flowers in her locker before she'd closed it.  
  
Grissom glanced at Sara, she was acting a little too something he couldn't quite place. He glanced at Nick and the pieces slid together, causing him to become even more annoyed. "Nick, wipe your mouth off. I'll be in the Denali."  
  
Nick reached up and began wiping at his mouth with an expression that showed he knew he was in deep trouble. Apparently, he had traces of Sara's lipstick on his mouth.  
  
Grissom turned on his heals without speaking a word to Sara.  
  
Nick swallowed hard and looked over at Sara who was trying not to laugh. "We're busted."  
  
She started to laugh. "He had the same look on his face that my father did when he found me making out with Tommy Simmons in the eighth grade."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow curiously. "I'll have to hear more about that later, provided Grissom doesn't kill me in the meantime."  
  
As he turned to leave, Sara pulled him back towards her for a brief moment to give him one last kiss. She raised her eyebrow in amusement. "As long as we're busted, we might as well make it worth it."  
  
Nick started to laugh. "I'll see you later." He leaned in stole one more kiss before he headed off after Grissom to face the music. He felt his stomach churning as he neared the vehicle. He fully expected that Grissom would read him the riot act not only for getting caught making out at work, but because it was Sara he was doing it with.  
  
Warrick glanced back at Nick and shot him a curious expression as Nick unconsciously rubbed his fingers over his lips to erase any traces of the smudged lipstick. Warrick tried to restrain his laughter unsuccessfully. "So, Nick, that joke you told me earlier was pretty funny."  
  
Grissom shot Warrick a glare. "Can we keep our minds on work while we're at work? Is that too much to ask?"  
  
Nick remained silent in the backseat, unsure if he said anything if it would make things worse.  
  
By Grissom's response, Warrick was pretty sure that Grissom had caught Nick and Sara in some sort of lip lock, the same way he had the other day. He couldn't contain his laughter.  
  
Grissom glanced over at Warrick with an annoyed expression. "Warrick, would you mind sharing what's so funny?"  
  
Warrick glanced at Nick in the rear view mirror and continued laughing. "I take it you figured out what was taking Nick so long."  
  
The faintest hint of a smile flickered across Grissom's face as he tried to maintain his stern façade.  
  
Nick was sweating bullets in the backseat.  
  
Grissom glanced at Nick in the rear view mirror. "Nick, what you and Sara do on your own time is your business, but when we've got a crime scene to process, and the Sheriff is waiting, I'd appreciate it if you would be a bit more timely."  
  
It took Nick a moment to find his voice, but he nodded. "Uh, ok, Gris." He was dumbfounded that Grissom hadn't said more. 


	8. Incredulous, Pathetic, and Flummoxed

"I cannot believe he didn't completely freak out." Nick had an incredulous expression on his face as he and Warrick unloaded the Denali. Nick had fully expected that Grissom would have reamed him verbally for what he'd walked in on in the locker room; not that he was even sure that Grissom had seen him and Sara kissing, but he'd made it pretty clear he knew what was going on between them.  
  
Warrick just laughed. "You know, you can't make that a habit. I know this is all new between the two of you, but if he catches you doing that on company time on a regular basis, you're both going to get written up."  
  
Nick nodded. "I was more worried about him finding out at all. Sara just laughed. She said he had the same expression on his face that her dad did when he caught her making out with some guy in the eighth grade."  
  
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "I think Sara and Catherine are the only ones who aren't afraid of him around here."  
  
Nick puffed his chest up a little. "I'm not afraid of him."  
  
Warrick chuckled. "Yeah, and I'm the pope. We're all a little afraid of him; he's our boss."  
  
"Ok, I'll give you that." Nick pulled the last of the gear out of the Denali and set it on the ground before closing the door.  
  
"You taking Sara out on another date?" Warrick hadn't gotten much information out of either Nick or Sara other than the fact that they'd gone out once, it went well, and they'd been caught twice in a very involved kiss in the locker room.  
  
Nick grinned. "We haven't had a lot of time. We've been working."  
  
Warrick looked doubtful. "Something tells me that hasn't stopped the two of you from getting together."  
  
"We've shared a few meals and watched a few movies." Nick admitted, trying not to smile.  
  
"Just how many of these movies have you seen the end of?" Warrick jested.  
  
Nick didn't say anything; he just restrained his smile and picked up some of the gear they'd removed from the Denali. "You gonna give me a hand with some of this?"  
  
Warrick shook his head, letting out a low chuckle as he picked up the rest of the gear and headed into the lab.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick grinned as he walked into the locker room; Sara was there stowing her gear. "You're still here."  
  
She glanced up and smiled. "Yeah, Catherine and I just finished up. You?"  
  
He nodded. "Free as a bird."  
  
Sara laughed softly and yawned, sitting down on the bench in the middle of the bay of lockers. "Me too."  
  
He leaned toward her conspiratorially. "Wanna watch 'Gone With The Wind'?"  
  
She gave him an apologetic smile. "Can I have a rain check? I'm tired and you should be too."  
  
Nick sat down next to her on the bench and elbowed her. "Is this going to be hard?"  
  
Sara looked at him quizzically. "Is what going to be hard?"  
  
"This. Us." He began, gesturing between them. "I mean, I want to spend time with you and take you out on real dates, but things like today, when we both pull overtime happens, and all either of us has time for is to go home and sleep so we can come back and do it again tomorrow."  
  
A smile formed on Sara's lips as she nudged him. "Hey, you don't need to impress me by taking me out on what you call real dates, Nick. I'm already impressed because I know you, the real you. I want to spend time with you. I get to spend time with you. And if that means we eat breakfast after shift and watch movies that we know we're never going to see the end of then so be it."  
  
He laughed and put his arm around her shoulder. "You know, we could just watch TV."  
  
Sara smirked. "Somehow I don't find the Discovery Channel as romantic as a chick flick."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind." Nick smirked back.  
  
Sara smiled. "I need to go home, I'm really tired. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be just as long."  
  
Nick couldn't help but smile at her. "Let me walk you out." He squeezed her shoulders before standing up and gathering his things from his locker.  
  
They walked out to the parking lot together, getting curious stares as Sara held the bouquet of flowers that Nick had left in her locker. No one but Warrick, Catherine, and Grissom were aware of what was transpiring between Nick and Sara, so the fact that Sara had walked out of the lab with flowers several times over the last week was raising a few eyebrows.  
  
They approached Sara's Denali and stood there talking for a few minutes before Sara opened the door. She set her things inside the vehicle and climbed inside.  
  
Nick stood there leaning against the open doorway, reluctant to leave because he wanted to spend time with her.  
  
"You know, it's going to be hard to drive away if you don't move so I can close the door." Sara looked amused. She too wished that they had more time to spend together.  
  
He smiled at her softly and reached over and took her hand. "I know you said I don't need to take you out on real dates, and I know you think that I'm buying you far too many flowers, but I want you to know that it's just one way to show you that I think you're special. I want to do those things for you. You deserve to be treated like the amazing woman you are."  
  
An embarrassed smile spread across Sara's face and her cheeks turned a little pink. "I'm just not used to this. I like it; I'm just not used to it."  
  
Nick grinned. "The next time we both have the night off, I want to take you out on another real date. Ok?"  
  
She nodded, unable to hide her smile. "I need to go and so do you."  
  
Nick reached up and cupped her face, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her lips. They lingered like that for a few minutes and Nick finally pulled away, only to lean back in and kiss her again.  
  
"Nick, I need to go." Sara leaned in and kissed him again before breaking the kiss and giggling. "We're pathetic."  
  
Nick grinned, his fingers caressing her cheek. "If this is pathetic, then I like it." He leaned in and placed one more quick kiss on her lips before stepping back and waving goodbye as she shut the door.  
  
From the other side of the parking lot, Greg Sanders stood there with car keys in hand staring, his mouth agape. He had been on vacation when Catherine had challenged Nick to woo Sara. The scene that had unfolded before him had left him completely flummoxed. 


End file.
